PGA Tour Pro Ryan Gerard played 74 holes at one of the PGA Tour's hardest courses and made the putts he needed, but still walked away empty-handed. His one word summed it up: "Stings."

Gerard shot a 4-under 68 in the final round and finished tied with J.T. Poston at 12-under par at the 2026 Memorial Tournament in Dublin, Ohio. The tournament went to a playoff, and Poston won on the second extra hole after Gerard missed a 6-foot par putt. 

"Just stings a little bit," Gerard said after the round. "I felt like I hit a couple good shots in the playoff on 18, in regulation and in the playoff, that just didn't quite make it to the top of the hill."

The playoff was decided by one missed putt. On the second playoff hole, Gerard had a 6-foot putt for par. It was similar to the putt he faced on the 18th hole in regulation, but this time he missed it. 

"I had a similar read on it, and I don't know if I just didn't hit it hard enough or it just snapped a little bit more than I thought," he said. "I felt like I made a decent stroke. It just didn't give it enough speed."

That was enough for Poston to finish it. "After Ryan made his putt, that made that putt honestly a little easier," Poston said. "I knew exactly what I needed to do."

Gerard played well enough to feel unlucky not to win. He made a long 40-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole to take the lead. Poston then needed a par to stay close and managed to do it. He later made a birdie on the 18th hole to force a playoff.

During the week, Gerard was part of a tight battle for the lead with several players and played in the final group on both Saturday and Sunday.

Gerard missed out on the title by just one putt. Meanwhile, Poston had to work hard and fight through a tough round just to reach the playoffs.

PGA Tour Pro Gerard's Playoff Loss Came After Poston Erased a Four-Shot Final-Round Deficit

Poston started the final round with a four-shot lead, but by the 13th hole, he had lost it. He was 3-over for the day and was behind for the first time since Friday.

He bounced back with three birdies in the next five holes. On the 18th, he hit an 8-iron shot to within 7 feet of the hole and made the birdie putt to force a playoff with Gerard.

"I needed to play the last five holes really well," Poston said, as reported by the Associated Press. "I knew I was going to be shaking Mr. Nicklaus's hand walking off 18 no matter what, and I want to be proud of the effort when I did."

Poston's win earned him $4 million and spots in the next three major tournaments. He moved up to No. 39 in the world rankings, secured the only Open Championship spot available at the Memorial Tournament, and also qualified for the 2027 Masters.

Gerard acknowledged Poston's performance directly in the post-round transcript. "He played amazing," Gerard said. "Hat's off to him."

Do you think Ryan Gerard has what it takes to win on the PGA Tour this season? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason